So many of you have emailed me about this that I thought I had better put it up. Doug Gilmour was on with Greg Brady today who was flying solo on the Bill Watters show. Brady was a tad bit fired up on the hockey and headshots things. In any event Gilmour who is usually a lousy interview in my opinion was beyond good especially when he talked about violence in the game. Certainly worth a listen.
Listen to the Chat here
Both drive home shows today took on Colin Campbell and the NHL on the hitting gate. Jim Kelley joined Mccown early on and their take was a failure at the top of the NHL to deal with the issue. Kelley talked about how someone(s) above Campbell was pulling strings and Kelley thought that Colin was either going to quit or get fired over this issue. The Fan 590 doesn’t have the Kelley audio up, however I thought Kelley was good on this point.
Up the dial, Brady went postal on the issue. Imploring that the execs in the game were ruining the game. On a few separate occasions calling for heads on platters. 640 Toronto doesn’t allow for all segments to be downloaded, however I suggest you take a listen in here for all the Brady stuff- it’s certainly entertaining, I’ll leave whether or not you think it’s accurate up to you. I will say this, if you are going to fly solo, you may as well come out firing like he did today. The best solo show he has ever had.
Speaking of good, did anyone hear Don Landry sign off on the big early this am, it was pretty funny. He was talking about the Texas Rangers manager, Ron Washington, the guy who tested positive for cocaine last year at the ripe old age of 57. Landry was really funny saying how, Washington had never done drugs before in his life and at 57 woke up and decided to try cocaine. The best part is that Washington came out tonight and admitted to smoking dope years ago in addition to popping a few pills. What’s next, he’s going to claim he was a Vietnam Vet?
Does anyone think I am nuts on this, but why do morning radio shows end at 9:00? No seriously. I drive my kids to school. I drop them at 845-850. I don’t really get into my car much before 8:30. Now, I understand tons of people drive a hell of a lot earlier than I do. However, based on the number of people dressed i work attire I see dropping their kids off with me in addition to the amount of traffic I see in the city heading downtown when I am, why not extend the morning drive to 10 am? Thoughts?
- Grapeline with Don Cherry & Brian Williams at 4:45
- Bob McCown’s co-host from 5:00 to 7:00 is John Shannon
- Jim Kelley
- Darren Rovell
- Nik Kypreos
- David Branch
- Jerry Colangelo
- Buck Martinez
On 640 with Brady and Watters thanks to Mike S.:
- Bill Watters is on vacation in Florida so Greg Brady is solo today
- Doug Gilmour
- hockey insider Pierre McGuire at 6:10
- Jolly Jonas Siegel from the ACC to preview tonight’s Leafs-Devils game
What a strange collection of articles in today’s papers. Seriously, the good, the bad and ugly.
In case you weren’t sure, Bill Lnkhoff cemented his place in mediocrity with could easily be the dumbest article written in a Toronto paper, um, ever. Here’s the headline: “Greed-driven MLSEL doesn’t deserve a single penny” Excuse me? Let’s dissect this. Name one legitimate business that isn’t greed driven? There isn’t a legitimate business out there that isn’t in the business of making money. Don’t give me this crap that doesn’t mean they are greedy. The suits at MLSE are in the business to make money. No different than anyone else in business. As for the fact that they don’t deserve a penny…That’s just plain stupid. If the guy wanted to make the argument that they aren’t entitled to x, whatever x is I could live with that. To say they don’t deserve a penny shows how far removed from reality Lankhoff is. Seriously, it’s the type of moronic statement that I would expect Bill Watters to utter when he first took to the airwaves. Now, I know what your going to say, it’s just the headline and he didn’t write that. So we look in the article and find it’s worse than the headline:
“This is the money Balsillie would have to pay to compensate Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and, to a lesser extent, the Buffalo Sabres and the league. It’s blood money. Some might argue legalized extortion. And, in the end, fans will pay — and MLSEL will pad its bottom line, which is what it does best.”
Every other sports team that has it’s territory encroached upon has received some “blood money”. Does that make them undeserving or greedy????????? NO jackass!
“This extra stipend would be on top of the $212.5 million Ballsillie would pay Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes for the franchise and it doesn’t include renovations to Copps Coliseum, marketing, advertising, moving or payroll costs. Balsillie may be able to afford all that. But to meet costs, his ticket prices aren’t going to be much cheaper than the ones that people who visit my rec room can’t afford now to watch MLSEL’s teams. In other words, even if they don’t own the team, MLSEL will still be putting the squeeze on your wallet. Is it any wonder that ordinary NHL fans feel disconnected? ”
No really, someone wake me up. This guy can’t be this out to lunch can he???? You can’t expect to move in to someone else’s territory and not have to pay for that right. It’s the way business works in, ummmm REALITY!!!
“Other than the sultans of Bay St., the days when it was possible for someone to take their family to a Leafs game ended about the same time the team paraded the Stanley Cup to city hall. Not that there has been a lot to see since MLSEL and the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund took control of sports in this city. MLSEL is to sports what the Titanic was to shipping. It makes lots of money, it’s full of all the beautiful people — and it always ends up dead in the water.”
Now you see, this is the type of comment that made me start this site. What does one issue have to do with the other? MLSE subscribes to this tiny theory called supply versus demand. They charge for a ticket what the market will bear. What that has to do with their success or lack their of on the ice is not the least bit relevant in this type of article. Is this dipstick really trying to make the argument that because they aren’t successful on the ice they shouldn’t be allowed ANYTHING when someone squats on their rights?????? Really?????????? So because Lankhoff’s a really bad writer I can go build a smaller house on his property and move in and not pay him anything?????? It’s a stretech, but reallly not that much different. I mean just because he owns the land doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to live on it too right?????? AND how dare he ask for any penalty,m he’s a shitty writer!
“That this business — and it is business more than it is a sports enterprise — needs protection money after it has pillaged the local populace is an utter abomination. It is not MLSEL that needs protection from Baum. It’s southern Ontario hockey fans. They have had to watch a franchise that was once a national icon degenerate into a corporate logo for selling everything from concerts to condos. The hockey? Abysmal. And, that’s being polite.”
With all due respect to some of the writers who have done a very good job covering business related stories over the year, THIS IS WHY SPORTS WRITERS SHOULDN’T COVER BUSINESS STORIES. What we in Southern Ontario need is protection from this shitty type of work. We aren’t stupid used car dealers from those sterotypical 70’s movies!
There’s more in his article but I won’t put you through it. It’s utter crap. It’s old, it’s tired and everything that is wrong with reporting in this town from a sports media perspective. For every advance that guys like Blair, Arthur, Cox, Brunt, Mcgran have made, a dipstick like this who is stuck in the old Archie Bunker/Bill Watters days of yester-decade of reporting with their head firmly in their ass. If you want to read it, or wipe your ass with it after taking a dump, here is Lankhoff’s shitpile.
In case you weren’t sure, that was the ugly….
In the same paper, Steve Simmons has a good review of where things stand in the desert:
“Judge Baum indicated he didn’t need to be an expert to determine that an NHL franchise in Hamilton was worth more than an NHL franchise in Glendale, Ariz. But he also made it clear that the league must be compensated for franchise movement: This is where Balsillie and his campaign to have seven hockey teams in Canada comes in to play. Would he pay $25 million, the number the Los Angeles Kings were compensated when the Anaheim Ducks came into the NHL? Would he pay the complex amount that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the New Jersey Devils paid when infringing upon the territory of the New York Rangers, Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers? Daly wouldn’t put a figure on that, but said it was double the price of the franchise at that time: In fairness, the Colorado Rockies, before moving to New Jersey, were worth next to nothing. Or is the number the $100 million that’s been kicking around? ”
That’s a great summation. The judge has said that a reasonable relocation fee is to be expected. The amount of the fee is the question. What is reasonable and to whom? Nowhere, and I mean nowhere did the issue of indemnification get raised. I’ve said this too many times, if Balsillie were asked 6 months ago if he would pay 312m USD for a team in Hamilton the answer would be yes. Keep that in mind. Would he pay 412m USD for that??? I don’t know. Would he pay 412m to play in the GTA? I think the answer would be yes. The mere fact that this is being debated shows you the inroads he has made. Will he win, I have no clue. At least this Sun writer can stay on point without being a total socialist! Simmons is here
Damien Cox has a similar piece that is right on the money in my mind. In law school they taught us to tell clients 2 things, the law aint cheap and a deal struck with the opposition ahead of litigation is usually better than the outcome by a judge.
“Stuck with a $212 million (U.S.) bid from Balsillie in one hand and nothing in the other except promises from the NHL, Baum isn’t left with many choices. He can only try to bring the buyer and the seller together in a way that best benefits the creditors. This is the awkward chain of events, one might guess, that Balsillie and his people were always counting on, having seen the Coyotes’ financials. But getting it to this point and getting the Coyotes to Copps Coliseum aren’t quite the same thing, are they? For starters, there’s this concept of a relocation fee. What was left unclear after Tuesday’s hearing was whether the judge believed or understood that fee would include territorial indemnification of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, although the league believes the two would be separate. So we could be talking a lot more than $100 million here, folks. As well, once the judge actually rules on something, which he has studiously avoided doing since he started hearing this case, it seems certain that if that ruling is not to the liking of the NHL, the league will immediately appeal. So as much as Balsillie wanted to crow yesterday that a team in Hamilton was “one step closer,” left unsaid was that it still might be 1,000 steps away from actually happening. Behind all of this lurks the spectre of the Leafs and how they would respond to having a team in Hamilton foisted upon them without their explicit permission. But with it now seeming abundantly clear that there will one day soon be another NHL team in southern Ontario, the Leafs might start wanting to consider that a franchise in Hamilton would be more agreeable to their interests than one in Vaughan or Downsview or some other GTA location. The NHL lost control of the Phoenix situation long ago and it has proved to be both damaging and embarrassing to the league. The Leafs might want to make the best deal they can now, rather than wait for events to deliver something less to their liking.”
Hamilton sounds a hell of a lot better to me if I am MLSE than Downsview! It may be a better idea to get a deal done this way after all. I don’t think they want to make a deal anywhere but it is good food for thought. Damien’s story is here
Not on the topic, but Damien did a homerun today on the subject of Danny The Teammate Killer Heatley:
“Talk to Dany Heatley once and you understand you’re not talking to a MENSA candidate. That’s okay. As probably more a few coaches have told Heatley along the way: don’t think, it just hurts the team.”
That’s fantastic. No really, that is frreaking FANTASTIC!!!
“I get the part where he doesn’t want to live in Ottawa. Neither would I. I get the part where after being allowed to freelance continuously during his years as a heroic Senator he might chafe at the notion of being asked to play a larger team game. Geez, if he’d known he’d have to play in three zones he’d have asked for more money.”
Ummm, am I sensing a tad bit of sarcasm here aren’t I???? BRILLIANT!!! Does he make the Olympic team? I could care less right now…. the damospin is here
I like this blurb from Kevin McGran’s piece in the Star:
“Relocation is separate from indemnity,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. “There may be indemnity fees owing if a franchise were ever located in Hamilton.”
I don’t care what you want to call it Bill. The ball isn’t in your court. It’s in the Judge’s ask for all you can, see what you get. For more on that read McGran’s column here
The one thing you should have picked up during this whole mess in the desert is that there are no shortage of legal experts with varying opinions on the law and what will happen next. David Shoalts dug deep to find someone at Stanford to garner an opinion that same issue, indemnity fees.
“The NHL had better be careful on how much it demands in relocation and indemnification fees for the Phoenix Coyotes to move to Hamilton or it could be left empty-handed after a move is ordered by the courts, says an expert in sports economics and law from Stanford University. Roger Noll, an economics professor at Stanford, said Thursday that indemnification fees, which would be paid to teams when another team enters its territory, are not allowed under U.S. law. That was proven in the landmark anti-trust case that saw Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis move his NFL team to Los Angeles in 1982 without paying the fee.”
Exactly! You never know what happens when you roll the dice with a judge. If there was sure thing you wouldn’t pay a lawyer to go to court. It’s never simple and it’s never a guarantee.
““I’m sure the NHL knows it’s on legally shaky ground,” Noll said, suggesting Daly’s talk of an indemnification fee was a negotiating ploy. “The NHL wants to get paid something. They want to have something to distribute to the other clubs as a result.” Noll said the previous indemnification fees paid by NHL teams were voluntary because the owners involved did not want to get in a legal fight. John McMullen paid around $35-million, including the purchase price for the franchise, when the Colorado Rockies became the New Jersey Devils in 1982. In fact, the last time an NHL team was placed in another team’s territory, the incoming owner refused to pay an indemnification fee. Michael Eisner, the head of Disney, paid $50-million for the expansion Anaheim Ducks, which was the going rate for expansion teams in 1993. Eisner would not pay anything more, so in the end the NHL gave half of the $50-million to Bruce McNall, who owned the Los Angeles Kings at the time, and called it an indemnification fee.”
Which is exactly why it is laughable for some of the talking heads to be spouting off on what they think is going to happen when they have no friggin Lankhoff, I mean clue.
“The NHL’s problem, Noll said, is that the main responsibility of the bankruptcy judge is to get the highest amount of money possible for the creditors. If the league insists on too much money for a relocation fee, it could have an impact on the auction for the Coyotes, meaning there would be less money for the creditors. “The judge well knows that,” Noll said. “So the NHL is not in a great position.”
Which is precisely why Jim Balsillie’s legal team chose the bankruptcy route!!! Shoalts is here
Still looking for the definition of fluff? Look here
Am I alone in not getting the BOLT attention? Who cares about this guy??? Not I….Sorry Ben Johnson blew it for me. Having said that, how is it the guy who showed up on the front page of all our papers today, got no notice for wearing this t-shirt when he arrived?
I like him a lot better now!
Ummmm, I love the big Lebowski, and I am a Doug Gilmour fan, but can someone tell me just how much Doug had to drink before getting interviewed today? WOW- is this in english??
Lastly, a little birdie tells me that Jonas The Monster Gustavsson is leaning heavily towards joining the Colorado Avalanche. Could that change? Of course. I am told if I was thinking of putting money on it, bet on the Avs getting the Monster. Ya know, maybe I should come up with a rating for my rumours….
- Tom Tebbutt of the Globe & Mail on the French Open
- Blue Jays radio analyst Alan Ashby on baseball
- Doug MacLean on hockey from 6:30 to 7:00
On 640 with Brady and Watters:
440 Jacques Martin, Montreal Canadiens Head Coach
5-6 Doug Gilmour, ex-Leaf in studio
610 Scott Morrison, Inside The NHL
640 Bill Torrey, former Islanders President/GM
THE TSM Take: McCown, Brunt and MacLean were very entertaining last time around, may be worthwhile to listen in. MacLean will likely be asked and spew forth his interest in the Panthers vacant GM job. Doug Gilmour is a Watters favorite so the love in will be large. Bill Torrey comes from the same old school as Wilbur too, expect a ton of old references, jokes and of course nicknames. Tom Wright wrote Jim Balsillie’s relocation application so that should be interesting.
The world is going to hell in a hand basket. Unemployment is at a recent high, people are losing jobs, homes etc. There is so much to talk about and yet the editors of the Toronto Sun in today’s paper actually had the balls to not only write about Mats Sundin’s return, but to shame leaf fans into cheering for the guy. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? A FREAKING EDITORIAL on Mats Sundin’s return?????
“As hockey players say, the fans pay for the tickets and they have a right to cheer or boo whom they please. But we hope fans at the Air Canada Centre tomorrow night cheer Mats Sundin when he takes the ice for the Vancouver Canucks. In his first trip back to the ACC in an opponent’s uniform, Sundin deserves respect. ”
What a total load of crap. Utter 100% crap. He “deserves” respect. He plays for another team???? Since when are we “supposed to” cheer another team. We fans of Toronto teams take a beating from the press. We are suckers, idiots, too quiet, too cheap, too die-hard, too biased and now this? ENOUGH.
This isn’t an attack on Mats Sundin. This is a matter of fact. When Mats Sundin retires and he gets his jersey raised to the banners that will be the time for respect. We are supposed to cheer a member of the opposition now?
“Anyone who doubts that, need only look at them this year, without him. There’s not much worth watching.”
With Sundin and the rest of his “crew” over the last 3 years, what exactly was there worth watching? That is not a condemnation on #13. It’s a fact. The result over the last nearly 4 seasons, with or without Sundin have been the same, so don’t give me that crap.
“Sundin grew into an NHL superstar in a Leaf uniform and a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame. He merits our respect because he’s earned it. The old-fashioned way. One game at a time.”
I agree, 100% he was a terrific athlete and player and representative of our team. We don’t have to cheer him tomorrow night. He plays for another team. Every time Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux touched the puck in the middle of their legendary careers they got booed. We as fans don’t cheer the opposition (unless of course you are a paying member of tank nation ). When those guys came to town later in a non playing life or on their last visit, when they were honored, they got what the respect they deserved.
“Some will bitch Sundin never led the Leafs to a Stanley Cup, even as they praise other captains who failed to do exactly the same thing. Some will whine Sundin should have waived his no-trade clause last year for some late-season draft picks or talent. We don’t hold any of it against him. Sundin simply exercised a no-trade clause he fairly negotiated. It wasn’t a sneak attack.”
None of those are reasons not to cheer for him. I would have preferred he won a cup, but that alone doesn’t warrant him not getting cheered. Let’s get this no trade clause thing over once and for all. Oddly enough, The Sun’s Steve Simmon’s hits one out of the park on Sundin today, especially on the issue of the no trade clause:
” The last important decision Mats Sundin made as captain of the Maple Leafs set his beloved hockey team back several seasons.There cannot be much disputing of that. Sundin’s decision to remain a Maple Leaf last winter was a determination based on loyalty, his own built-in naivete and a position he was entitled to take by the very contract he had signed. But his public rationalizations for not relinquishing the no-trade aspect of his contract have been proven over time to be contradictory, baseless or, at the very worst, dishonest. He said one thing and did the other. He said he couldn’t envision himself in another uniform. He said he didn’t believe in being a rental player, that to live through the Stanley Cup process, you had to start from the beginning.”
BINGO. He owed the team and its fans nothing. NOTHING. He had, if nothing else earned a reputation of being truthful, so many hockey critics said it over and over, Sundin is a genuine guy. We were told to believe what he said. When Sundin said he wasn’t willing to move after talking to Borje Salming and that he always had believed you have to be with a team from day one, we were told to honor that. That is fine. I had no problem with that then. I have a huge problem when he goes back on that word. Can he change his mind? OF course he can. We all do. We certainly do in our own lives every day. We all don’t look into a tv camera with a tear in eye and say something as powerful and meaningful as he did. When you do so, and you go back on your word (lie) you better be prepared for the repercussions.
“If I were a paying customer of the Leafs, overpaying for a less-than-capable NHL product, I would boo Sundin with fervour. I would hold him partly responsible for making Brian Burke’s job as onerous as it is. You can’t play both sides of the fence. You can’t say you are staying out of loyalty, out of passion, and then do the opposite, without angering the passionate, without being held responsible for some of the carnage you left behind.”
EXACTLY. That, from Simmons in comparison to this from his editors is the gospel:
“And let’s get real. Leaf management was never serious about building a Stanley Cup contender around Sundin. Where were the wingers Number 13 needed when he was in his prime? The seats were full and so were the owners’ pockets. The Leafs made Sundin rich, too. What decent NHL player isn’t? But more than a superstar, Sundin was that increasingly rare phenomenon in hockey and professional sport — a role model. Tomorrow night, cheer. He deserves that much.”
Raise your hand if you truly believe, in your heart of hearts, brain of brains, despite what Wilbur says that the owners didn’t want to win. That is complete and utter horsekaka (check out Private Eyes starring Tim Conway and Don Knots for more). It is such a hollow line of crap. Where they successful? No. Did they make huge mistakes? YES. Should we be furious? YES. Did they not want to win? NO, that is just plain dumb. Any idea how much more cash they would make if they had?????
“The fact he is a rental player now with Vancouver makes that all the more difficult to digest. Sundin may have been acting out of love for his Maple Leafs in making his decision last season, but his love, in this case, has proven to be selfish, contradictory and externally damaging.”
Someone give Mr. Simmons a prize.
Over at the Globe, Roy MacGregor takes a more philosophical look at the comeback:
“Still, Sundin is both a special player — 1,332 points in 1,321 NHL games — and a special person, a quiet captain for the Leafs who was both a model of consistency and a model citizen. At least until last year, when he chose to engage his no-trade clause and thereby denied the Leafs the chance to trade him for something, anything, that might have advanced the team’s rebuilding plans. Then there were the embarrassing poker ads on television, Sundin essentially endorsing the wonky notion that there is something sporting in a card game. And then there was the endless hemming and hawing over where he was going — the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa and Vancouver were all in pursuit — only to have him declare the Canucks had been his choice all along. If only he’d just said so.”
I had never really thought about the Poker ad. That actually is pretty funny.
“”I feel good about going back. Toronto is still a home for me. I spent 13 years within the city as a Toronto Maple Leaf, so it’s always going to be part of my heart. At the same time, once the puck drops, it’s going to be a game like any other game.”Sure.And Barack Obama is going to be a president like any other.”
Exactly, Sundin was less then honest then and he is being less then honest now. The lie he told then was more hurtful, this more recent one more understandable.
Even Damien, who is usually pretty sane when it comes to this stuff:
“But if Maple Leaf fans can imagine any time in the near future that their team will regain a sense of respect around the NHL and become an organization that celebrates excellence over mediocrity, they might want to reconsider their too-frequent reflex to boo. They boo Sidney Crosby like they once booed Bobby Orr, apparently because talent offends them.They showered derision upon Larry Murphy, who promptly moved to Detroit and won a couple of Cups with the Red Wings. They boo Daniel Alfredsson for an alleged crime of disrespect committed, interestingly, against Sundin, mimicking the Leaf captain’s petulant toss of his stick into the audience five years ago.For Sundin on Saturday, however, the only reasonable response should be two-fold. The man deserves a good, hearty round of applause, with a good number of those in attendance on their feet. He may not have contributed more to the Leaf organization than Doug Gilmour or Wendel Clark, but he surely didn’t contribute less and deserves similar treatment. Once the ovation is over, the Leafs should then try to knock his block off. Nothing illegal or cheap, but good, hard hockey that would leave Sundin leaving the ACC thinking it was no fun at all.”
What a farce. Why are people comparing a current player to 2 retired guys? Why are we comparing guys who got traded away as opposed to one who chose to walk away? The media were equally as culpable for running Larry Murphy out of town as the fans. Every arena in the NHL boos every star player. Are there always a handful of that star players jersey in attendance? Yup. Do they still get booed? Hell yes. Oh, and Damien, that happens in EVERY sports arena in EVERY league in North America. Do the Laker fans cheer on Lebron James???? Of course not. Do they over pay to see him??? Hell yes. Do some wear his jersey?? Yup…. Do they boo him….YES- It’s what fans do!
“That’s how to produce a strong impression that the club has turned the page on the Sundin years and is marching towards a better future with pride rather than wasting time trashing former heroes.”
Ummmm, no. When he retires, honor him. While he plays for another team, you do as Simmons says, you boo. Or as you accuse most leaf game attendees of doing, you sit on your hands (sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
“Leaf fans, really, should care about only two Sundin related issues. First, that the classy Swede grew sick of the screwed-up manner in which the Toronto operation was being run. Are things different under Brian Burke? We’re still learning the answer to that question. Second, as with any number of good players in recent years, Sundin left town without fetching any assets in return. This is an organization that has consistently been unable to understand that the best time to move athletes is at the peak of their value, not when they’ve outlived their usefulness. None of this was Sundin’s fault. Those who accuse him of lying to the Leafs about his true intentions are fools. Those who would jeer him upon his return belong to the same category.”
Fascinating that the guy who called Sunin the most honest and truthful maple leaf player in recent memory is drinking the kool-aid. I agree with Damien’s first point above. I think it is hilarious, mind numbingly funny that out of one side of his mouth Damien says that he didn’t lie, and out of the other Damien blames the buds for not getting anything for Mats. The worst part is that Damien is dead on with one of the leafs biggest problems over the year, especially JFJ, being “unable to understand that the best time to move athletes is at the peak of their value, not when they’ve outlived their usefulness”. That is right. Which is why Toskala should have been dealt last year. It’s why perhaps Matt Stajan and Dominic Moore should be dealt this year.
Berger was just on the fan previewing his blog (thrilling I realize). He did say one think that was interesting. He really loves argyle sweaters. No, just kidding. He said that that reason this is such a big story is that because there is nothing else to talk about. To a certain degree he is right. He is right in that, there is a huge void in this town with regard to interesting sports stories. The Hab boys who are being tied to some mobster may be able to tell us which is a better bet, the Leafs or the Raptors to finish dead last. Can you imagine the lull on March 6th??? At least between now and then we can focus on the deadline. What, the hell do we do between that and the draft? Seriously! Back to reality, this is a big story because the press has nothing better to talk about. None of these guys cares about Sundin. They all care about selling clicks or papers. This is controversial and right now there just isn’t anything else out there.
I will say it one last time. People should do what they want to do. Those who cheer are a little bit nostalgic and I suspect a little bit like sheep, doing that which they are told to do. Those who boo, I hope you are booing the opposition, or at the very least the liar. Sundin was one hell of a Maple Leaf player. Some called him the quietest maple leaf leader ever. If true, he should have kept his mouth shut; it is that and not his play that got him in to trouble.
read Simmons here
read the sun idiot editors here
read Roy MacGregor here
read cox here
“No one knows how Sundin will be greeted Saturday. Concerned Toronto columnists have been writing about this for weeks, trying to shame the fans into cheering.”
Concerned Toronto columnists???? Has there ever been a bigger oxymoron? Shame the fans? Give me a break. They are trying to sell papers and pay per clicks
“No one knows Sundin on the Canucks better than Wellwood. He thinks the former Leaf will have a tough time dealing with things if his reception in the ACC doesn’t go well.
“If they boo him like crazy, that could really affect him,” Wellwood said. “But anything else and he’ll be fine.”
Well, there you go. The object is to win the game right Brian and Ron??? Then boo him like no player has ever been booed. If Kyle is right and a loud chorus of boos effects Sundin then we as Leafs fans owe it to the Blue and White and boo like crazy! Remember we don’t cheer for the player, we cheer for the jersey!
“Sundin played in Toronto for 13 years. He was captain but never quite made it to the Stanley Cup (the Leafs made it to the Eastern Conference final with Sundin in 1998-99).
He was Toronto’s best player, but never quite attracted the same media frenzy that Doug Gilmour or Wendel Clark garnered.
He was appreciated, but never quite loved or revered. He was great, but never idolized.”
That is 100% accurate. He never captured either the hearts nor the imagination of Leaf Nation. He lacked the personality to do that..
Check this out from Kevin Allen over at USA today:
“Toronto Maple Leafs (seller): Although GM Brian Burke is looking to make over this team, he might not move as many players as fans will expect. Nik Antropov is the only lock to move. Dominic Moore will be moved, only if the Leafs can’t re-sign him. Burke will listen to offers for Tomas Kaberle, but he likes him, and he might keep him. He’s only 30, and he could still be crucial to the team’s future. The Maple Leafs would like to trade Vesa Toskala or Pavel Kubina, but they are almost untradeable because of their contracts. In order to trade those players, Burke would have to take back someone’s bad contract.”
I’m thinking 3-4 guys are gone. That is a lot for one deadline. I am surprised at the salary comment on Kubina. He has one year left at 5m. This is the first I have read that his salary is going to make trading him a problem. With Toskala, I would think it is his play that is making him almost untradeable.
One has to wonder whom is feeding Bob Mccown his scoops? This hasn’t been a goof hockey season for the Bobcat whom used to have a very good track record. Consider if you will:
1. Bob pretty much guranteeing the sale of the predators to Jim Balsille. Bob said that his sources told him Mr. Blackberry would be announced as the majority owner of the club shortly…
2. Bob said Sundin to the New York Rangers was a done deal. He joked with Kypreos about not knowing what was for dinner the next night didn’t mean he didn’t know whether or not he was going to it….
3. Bob stated as fact that NHL has held talks as to how a dispersal draft would work if the Coyotes and/or Predators fold in the summer. Multiple NHL execs have publically disputed that calling it totally false.
4. Bob stated as fact that Nik Antropov turned down a contract extension from Brian Burke and that is why Burke soured on him. Now, as Mike S. pointed out Darren Dreger buried that story today on Leafs Lunch. Also TSM has it on very good authority that all of burke, nonis, antropov, and meehan are personally deny it.
Something funny is going on when a guy as good as Mccown is, is as off as he has been lately. One has to wonder who exactly is whispering these things in his ear. At this pace, Mccown is going to become not credible ala the boy who cried wolf. Rest assured if one of his guys had started to develop this bad a track record he would either drop him or let him have it relentlessly. Me thinks the Bobcat needs new sources…
For those who haven’t seen today’s Toronto Star there is a great piece on Doug Gilmour. This one by Kevin McGran is different in that 2 current Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players, Jeremy Williams and John Mitchell discuss growing up Gilmour fans:
“Williams: He can’t be your favourite player, he’s my favourite player.
Mitchell: He’s your favourite player too?
Williams: It was either Doug Gilmour or Mario Lemieux.
Mitchell: Did you wear Doug Gilmour’s number in minor hockey?
Williams: I wore it in Triple A.
Mitchell: So did I.
Williams: When I was on Team Saskatchewan I wore No. 93. (Williams explained he usually couldn’t get the number on his club team.) I lived in a small town and you couldn’t pick your number. They just gave you a ratty jersey from 10 years before.
Mitchell: When I played in Hamilton in Triple A, for four years I wore 93. Ninety-three, tucked the jersey in the side. Used the Titan stick. I was a big fan, big supporter.
Williams: Big geek.
Mitchell: No. I was a kid.
Williams: Sure. Dweeb.
Mitchell: I was a kid who idolized his favourite player. What’s wrong with that?
Williams: You got picked on.
Mitchell: No, I didn’t. I was looked up to, because I wore No.93.
(He now wears No. 39.)”
Good stuff. Nice to hear from some of today’s Toronto Maple Leaf hockey players how they too idolized and emulated Doug Gilmour….It’s still a kids game!
Should be a great night down at the ACC as, perhaps the greatest Maple Leaf player in my adulthood is honored. Doug Gilmour, as the ad on 640 Toronto says, restored the passion in the Maple Leafs. Until he arrived the buds were mired in a slump that had lasted over a month. I was returning home from the Christmas holidays and thankfully someone had left a day old toronto newspaper on the plane, in one of our seats for us to find when we boarded. I remember reading the news and thinking WOW this is awesome. Awesome it certainly was. Cliff, Doug and Pat. How very cool it was. It was really fun to be a leaf fan again. The guy was everything we ever wanted in a leaf player.
I have tried to immerse Little TSM in as much hockey, especially Maple Leaf nostalgia as possible. We were fortunate enough to run into Doug at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls Ontario a couple of years ago. We first saw him on Friday night. Mrs. TSM and I took Little TSM to see the fireworks over the falls and brought him back to the hotel very late. As we were waiting for the elevator we ran into Gilmour. He could not have been nicer to us, especially Little TSM. He asked him his name, who old he was, if he played hockey etc. He also posed for this photo. The next morning (happened to be NHL draft day) we were in the restaurant eating breakfast watching TSN disect the Roberto Luongo trade to Vancouver. Gilmour and his entourage walked into the restaurant and without missing a beat, he came right over to our table (and the restaurant was full) and said “Little TSM, did you see who got traded this morning?? He gave him a big hug and a high five!” As a parent it was one of the coolest things a guy like Gilmour could have done. Little TSM was all of 4 at that time and had no clue who he was, but we have the photo, one day perhaps we will get it signed for him.
Little TSM and Doug Gilmour
My favorite Gilmour story however involves the wife of a family friend. “Allison” was in her doctor’s office in the height of the Gilmour era. She was at the reception desk and was pretty sure that the guy standing next to her was someone famous. “Allison” kept staring at the guy and smiling, sure that she knew him. The guy smiled at her and nothing was said between the two of them. “Allison” left the office and went to her car. It then hit her. She knew how she knew him! Overcome with excitement, “Allison” ran back into the doctor’s office ran up to the guy and said, ” I know how I know you!” The guy nodded and smiled again and was about to say something when “Allison” screamed, “Your the guy from the Milk commercials, with the cow legs!” The best part of the story was “Allison” recounting the story to her husband, a devoted Maple Leafs fan! Can you imagine what Gilmour thought?
In any event, I only hope that at some time soon, Burke is able to repeat Cliff’s magic and bring Little TSM his Gilmour. With no disrespect to others who have followed Gilmour, there really hasn’t been anyone to come close to filling his skates. The only good thing about his career ending injury after being traded back to Toronto is that he finished off his career a Maple Leaf.
“Ask a National Hockey League general manager to draft any three players from across the league, and it’s not impossible that the three names that come out would be Alexander Ovechkin, Vinny Lecavalier, and Henrik Zetterberg. Sure, Roberto Luongo or Sidney Crosby or Luke Schenn could jump in there – this last possibility is assuming the GM in question only listens to talk radio in Toronto, and then only in the first month of the season – but any GM would be thrilled to sign those first three players to a lot of dollars and for plenty of years.” Bruce Arthur in the National Post
“I’d blow up his defense.” Keith Jones on what he would do if he were the GM of the Ottawa Senators
“Either this group plays better or we have to change the group” Brian Burke
“And for me, it all started with Pat (Burns). I don’t know what it was about him, but he had this way of looking at me, he intimidated me without even saying a word. He’d just stare at me and I knew what he was saying. I had to be better. We just had this thing. He knew how to push. He worked for me. I worked for him.” Doug Gilmour on Pat Burns
I don’t know what happened,” Burns said. “I don’t know why that time was better than any other? We just knew how to work together, had really good communication. People often ask me: “Who’s the player? Who gave you the most of himself?” And the answer’s easy. Without a doubt it’s Doug, you look at his size, his weight, his heart. You couldn’t ask for anything more in a player. “If you ask me, for those two years, he was the best player in hockey.” Pat Burns on Doug Gilmour
Both of those from Steve Simmons. i couldn’t agree with you more. Those two years were the most fun I have ever had being a leaf fan. The old photo of Pat’s garage, the coaches, the players the gardens. I wish I were going to the ACC on Saturday night. I hope the fans really give it up for Doug. Any idea on who from the old squad will be there? How amazing if Burns was there?
). When those guys came to town later in a non playing life or on their last visit, when they were honored, they got what the respect they deserved.
